John Lucas vs. George Mikan Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of George Mikan and John Lucas, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

John Lucas played 14 years in the NBA, 7 more than George Mikan, who played 7. John Lucas had the first of his seasons in 1976-77, while George Mikan had his rookie season in 1948-49. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
John Lucas 14 6 1976-77 to 1989-90
George Mikan 7 7 1948-49 to 1955-56

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Rookie Season

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1976-771948-49
Team Houston RocketsMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Playoffs Rockets Lost East Conf FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 82 30.9 11.1 0.7 2.0 2.7 5.6 1.5 0.2 - 2.1 4.7 9.9 .477 - - - 1.6 2.1 .789
George Mikan 60 - 28.3 - - - 3.6 - - - 4.3 9.7 23.4 .416 - - - 8.9 11.5 .772
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 12 35.8 14.7 0.3 2.4 2.8 6.9 2.0 0.3 - 2.8 6.3 11.6 .540 - - - 2.2 2.8 .765
George Mikan 10 - 30.3 - - - 2.1 - - - 4.4 10.3 22.7 .454 - - - 9.7 12.1 .802

Season 2

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1977-781949-50
Team Houston RocketsMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 82 35.8 12.4 0.6 2.5 3.1 9.4 2.0 0.1 2.6 2.5 5.0 11.5 .435 - - - 2.4 3.0 .772
George Mikan 68 - 27.4 - - - 2.9 - - - 4.4 9.5 23.5 .407 - - - 8.3 10.7 .779
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas ------- --- ----------
George Mikan 12 - 31.3 - - - 3.0 - - - 3.9 10.1 26.3 .383 - - - 11.2 14.2 .788

Season 3

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1978-791950-51
Team Golden State WarriorsMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayLakers Lost West Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 82 37.7 16.1 0.8 2.2 3.0 9.3 1.9 0.1 3.1 2.8 6.5 14.0 .462 - - - 3.2 3.9 .822
George Mikan 68 - 28.4 - - 14.1 3.1 - - - 4.5 10.0 23.3 .428 - - - 8.5 10.5 .803
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas ------- --- ----------
George Mikan 7 - 24.0 - - 10.6 1.3 - - - 3.6 8.9 21.7 .408 - - - 6.3 7.9 .800

Season 4

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1979-801951-52
Team Golden State WarriorsMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 80 34.5 12.6 0.8 2.0 2.8 7.5 1.7 0.0 2.3 2.5 4.9 10.4 .467 0.2 0.5 .286 2.8 3.6 .768
George Mikan 64 40.2 23.8 - - 13.5 3.0 - - - 4.5 8.5 22.1 .385 - - - 6.8 8.7 .780
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas ------- --- ----------
George Mikan 13 42.5 23.6 - - 15.9 2.8 - - - 4.8 7.6 20.1 .379 - - - 8.4 10.6 .790

Season 5

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1980-811952-53
Team Golden State WarriorsMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 66 29.1 8.4 0.5 1.8 2.3 7.0 1.3 0.0 2.8 2.1 3.4 7.7 .439 0.1 0.4 .167 1.6 2.2 .738
George Mikan 70 37.9 20.6 - - 14.4 2.9 - - - 4.1 7.1 17.9 .399 - - - 6.3 8.1 .780
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas ------- --- ----------
George Mikan 12 38.6 19.8 - - 15.4 1.9 - - - 4.7 6.5 17.8 .366 - - - 6.8 9.3 .732

Season 6

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1981-821953-54
Team Washington BulletsMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bullets Lost East Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 79 24.6 8.4 0.5 1.6 2.1 7.0 1.2 0.1 2.0 1.3 3.3 7.8 .426 0.0 0.3 .091 1.7 2.2 .784
George Mikan 72 32.8 18.1 - - 14.3 2.4 - - - 3.7 6.1 16.1 .380 - - - 5.9 7.6 .777
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 7 10.6 4.4 0.0 1.1 1.1 2.9 0.4 0.1 0.6 0.9 2.0 3.7 .538 0.1 0.4 .333 0.3 0.4 .667
George Mikan 13 32.6 19.4 - - 13.2 1.9 - - - 4.3 6.7 14.6 .458 - - - 6.0 7.4 .813

Note: George Mikan didn't play in 1954-55.

Season 7

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1982-831955-56
Team Washington BulletsMinneapolis Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayLakers Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 35 11.0 4.1 0.2 0.6 0.8 2.9 0.7 0.0 1.3 0.5 1.8 3.7 .473 0.0 0.1 .000 0.6 1.2 .500
George Mikan 37 20.7 10.5 - - 8.3 1.4 - - - 4.1 4.0 10.1 .395 - - - 2.5 3.3 .770
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas ------- --- ----------
George Mikan 3 20.0 12.0 - - 9.3 1.7 - - - 4.7 4.3 11.7 .371 - - - 3.3 4.3 .769

Season 8

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1983-84-
Team San Antonio Spurs-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 63 28.7 10.9 0.4 2.5 2.9 10.7 1.5 0.1 2.3 2.0 4.4 9.4 .462 0.3 1.1 .275 1.9 2.5 .764
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas ------- --- ----------
George Mikan ------- --- ----------

Season 9

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1984-85-
Team Houston Rockets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 47 24.6 11.4 0.4 1.4 1.8 6.8 1.3 0.0 2.2 1.7 4.4 9.5 .462 0.4 1.4 .318 2.2 2.7 .798
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 5 30.4 13.6 1.4 2.8 4.2 5.4 1.2 0.0 1.4 2.8 5.2 16.0 .325 0.4 2.8 .143 2.8 4.4 .636
George Mikan ------- --- ----------

Season 10

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1985-86-
Team Houston Rockets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 65 32.6 15.5 0.5 1.7 2.2 8.8 1.2 0.1 2.3 1.9 5.6 12.6 .446 0.7 2.2 .308 3.6 4.6 .775
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas ------- --- ----------
George Mikan ------- --- ----------

Season 11

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1986-87-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 43 31.6 17.5 0.7 2.2 2.9 6.7 1.7 0.1 2.1 1.9 6.6 14.5 .457 1.1 2.9 .365 3.2 4.0 .787
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 12 30.2 15.6 0.3 1.8 2.1 5.2 1.2 0.1 1.7 1.4 5.7 12.5 .453 1.0 3.0 .333 3.3 4.0 .813
George Mikan ------- --- ----------

Season 12

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1987-88-
Team Milwaukee Bucks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf 1st Rd-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 81 21.8 9.2 0.4 1.6 2.0 4.8 1.1 0.0 1.5 1.3 3.5 7.8 .445 0.6 1.9 .338 1.6 2.0 .802
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 5 16.0 5.8 1.0 0.6 1.6 3.8 1.0 0.0 1.2 1.0 2.0 5.4 .370 0.6 2.6 .231 1.2 1.8 .667
George Mikan ------- --- ----------

Season 13

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1988-89-
Team Seattle Supersonics-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 74 11.4 4.2 0.3 0.8 1.1 3.5 0.8 0.0 0.9 0.7 1.6 4.0 .398 0.2 0.9 .265 0.7 1.0 .701
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 4 9.3 2.8 0.0 0.3 0.3 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 1.3 1.3 4.3 .294 0.0 0.8 .000 0.3 0.5 .500
George Mikan ------- --- ----------

Season 14

John Lucas George Mikan
Season 1989-90-
Team Houston Rockets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas 49 19.1 5.8 0.4 1.4 1.8 4.9 0.9 0.0 1.7 1.2 2.2 5.9 .375 0.5 1.8 .299 0.9 1.1 .764
George Mikan ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
John Lucas ------- --- ----------
George Mikan ------- --- ----------